The HEALTH : April 2020 | Page 18

18 The Health | April, 2020 | Hot Topic | MMA: Covid-19 is a collective battle Malaysians must do their part by taking full advantage of the info shared by the Ministry of Health By Camilia Rezali T he Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) advised the public to reach out for Covid-19 updates from a valid source. This may not only help to avoid hysteric situations among the people, but it also helps to put aside the stressful burden on healthcare providers. “The Ministry of Health has been doing an excellent job of being very transparent in providing information. What we notice today is that the public are more listening to fake news shared from anonymous WhatsApp users rather than looking into the infosihat.gov.my,” said MMA Honorary General Secretary, Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo. As a professional body representing a large number of doctors in the country, MMA strives to provide correct information and create awareness among the public. About the outbreak of Covid-19 in Malaysia, MMA is doing their part by having expert opinions on the disease, circulating press releases regularly, giving advice to healthcare professionals as front liners dealing with Covid-19 patients as well as promoting the official health educational website of MoH, infosihat.gov. my. “We work closely with the Ministry of Health by getting updates regularly. We have been giving a lot of press statements Where to click if I... NEED UPDATES ON COVID-19 1 www.infosihat.gov.my Info Sihat is an official site set up by the Health Education Division of Malaysian Ministry of Health. The site provides you latest health updates – through info graphics, videos, posters and press releases. Telegram group specialized for covid-19 updates NEED TO CONSULT A DOCTOR 2 www.doctoroncall.com.my If you are having symptoms of coronavirus, consult a doctor throughdoctoroncall. Doctoroncall is a virtual health advisory portal, fully endorsed by Ministry of Health. It allows you to call, chat or have a video call privately with a MMC registered doctor. The line will be open daily from 8.30 am to 5.00 pm. NEED COVID-19 SCREENING AT HOME Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Honorary General Secretary, 3 www.doctoroncall.com.my If you want to be screened, go for the home testing service provided by doctoroncall. The tests will be conducted by representatives of Qualitas Health. in reassuring the public,” said Dr Arasu. According to him, the public plays an essential role during the outbreak by not creating stress and burden to the system. He encourages the public to be well-informed on the latest updates and services introduced by the ministry. These include acquiring news updates from the ministry’s official site, opting for free online medical consultation at doctoroncall.com.my then heading to hospitals and also getting screened from home if needed.